News

The number of acupuncture users is growing in the USA, having increased nearly 50% from 2002 to 2012.1 However, relatively little is known about the reason for use (ie, treatment only, wellness only or a combination of both treatment and wellness) and perceived benefits of utilising acupuncture (eg, stress reduction) according to reason for use among US adults. An understanding of reasons for use and perceived benefits may help guide acupuncturists and healthcare professionals to maximise patient-centred healthcare utilisation.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widespread among different patient populations despite the availability of evidence-based conventional medicine and lack of supporting evidence for the claims of most CAM types. This study explored the prevalence, patterns, and perceived value of CAM among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients. Read more here.

New Zealand, like many other Western countries, has experienced an increase in the use of complementary and alternative treatment modalities, such as that of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) based acupuncture. While there has been an increase in the utilization of TCM-based acupuncture, there has also been an increase in the number of individuals graduating with a degree specializing in acupuncture. Limited research exists that has examined why individuals have chosen to study TCM-based acupuncture.

Perimenopausal insomnia is one of the core symptoms of the menopausal transition. Acupuncture is considered to exert a positive effect on restoring the normal sleep–wake cycle. However, there is little intuitive evidence besides evaluation using clinical effectiveness scales. We therefore designed this study, aiming to use more intuitive and reliable detection techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after applying acupuncture to provide neuroimaging evidence, as well as to verify the effectiveness with other curative effect indicators.